How Aeros, Senators match up in AHL finals

Aeros vs. Senators

ANDREW J. FERRARO, For the Chronicle |
May 27, 2011

The Aeros have an edge in experience on defense with Max Noreau and Drew Bagnall (above) leading the way for the Aeros.

How they match up

Offense

The Senators terrorized the Eastern Conference with four of the top seven scorers this postseason. Ryan Potulny came over in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks organization and leads the AHL with 25 points (14 goals, 11 assists). Ryan Keller, Kaspars Daugavins and Zack Smith are right behind him with 22, 17 and 17 points, respectively. The Aeros have a balanced offense, and only Patrick O'Sullivan (four goals, 11 assists) is among the league's top 18 playoff scorers.

Edge: Senators.

Defense

The Aeros have a little more experience with Max Noreau and Drew Bagnall leading the way. The Aeros have allowed two more goals overall during the postseason, but they boast three of the top scorers among defensemen in the playoffs. Noreau leads the way with 11 points (two goals, nine assists), followed by Jared Spurgeon (one goal, nine assists) and Marco Scandella (two goals, four assists). The Senators have the top scoring defenseman this postseason in Andre Benoit (three goals, 11 assists).

Edge:Aeros.

Goaltending

The Senators started the playoffs with regular-season hero Barry Brust. After they lost three of their first four games to the Manchester Monarchs, Robin Lehner took over and led Binghamton to a 10-2 mark. His goals-against average (GAA) is 2.41, and he sports an impressive .932 saves percentage. The Aeros continue to rely on rookie Matt Hackett, who has survived three rounds of superior offensive talent. Hackett has lost three of his past four starts, but he is 12-6 in the playoffs.

Edge:Senators.

Special teams

If the Aeros could plug the holes in their penalty kill (81.4 percent success rate), they could have eliminated the Bulldogs in five or six games. This was of prime concern at the end of the regular season, and the Aeros keep winning despite this flaw. The Senators are not much better on the PK (81.5). But because of their offensive talent, Binghamton is better on the power play (21.7 percent to the Aeros' 17.4).

Edge:Senators.

Intangibles

The teams did not meet in the regular season. The Senators have won five straight games. They are 5-1 in overtime games this postseason. The Aeros are the best team in the playoffs in one-goal games (8-0-2).